Destiny
by Britedark
Summary: What happens to Kohaku after he leaves the village to train as a taijiya? A look at Kohaku's life in bits and pieces. #32: Ayame's Argument - Ayame persuades Koga.
1. Farewell

**_**Disclaimer:**_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

**Farewell**

"Kohaku?"

Opening his eyes, Kohaku stood up and turned away from Kikyo's shrine. Praying had calmed him; he met his sister's eyes steadfastly.

She looked him up and down, noting his armor, his kusarigama and his sword.

"You're leaving."

He nodded, grateful that she came quickly to the point.

"Why?" she demanded. "I thought you liked it here! Everyone likes you! We're family again! How can you just leave!"

He had practiced this in his mind. Still, he had to clench his hands and breathe deeply. "Because, I can't pretend what happened to me, what I did, didn't happen. I know killing father wasn't my fault, or most of the rest. But, I can't—can't forget, and I—I don't fit in here."

She stared at him, pain-stricken. He forced himself to continue.

"I want—I need—to become strong. I want to protect people: to save lives. I want—" he hesitated a moment, "What father said about me that last night: I want to make it true."

"But, you'll be alone!"

Kirara chirped, leaning against his leg. "Kirara's coming with me."

Her face crumpled with more misery. "But, I just got you back, and now you want to leave again!"

His own eyes stung. "Please, sister. Don't be angry. I'm sorry. I have to."

Tearing eyes met; Sango's fell first. "Tell me you'll come back?"

"I'll visit."

She started to turn away, then turned back, opening her arms. "Brother?"

They clung to each other, saying farewell.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This is the start to a new story, about Kohaku after he leaves Kaede's village. It will mostly be told in bits and pieces through LiveJournal prompts. This piece was written for the prompt 'Point', on the issekiwa LiveJournal community. It was originally published on April 28, 2011, and took second. (05/10/2011)


	2. Freedom

**_Disclaimer:_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

**Freedom**

Kohaku clung to Kirara's ruff as she soared upwards, refusing to look back. Sango had given him her blessing, at the end, but he still feared that, if he saw her still crying, he would be tempted to turn back. He didn't want to hurt her, but he couldn't stay.

Kirara leveled off at last, having climbed to a height she rarely went. Kohaku felt some of the tension running out of his body. He had done it, he realized. He had made his choice and held to it, against his sister's wishes. He was free to find his own path in the world.

He felt a jolt, deep within, as the truth struck him. _For the first time in his life, he was completely free. _ No father frowning at him, watching him, criticizing him, scorning him for being less capable than his older sister. No Naraku enslaving his mind and heart. No sister, wanting to pretend that they could return to something that had been lost. No villagers, imprisoning him within their ignorance and their expectations.

He was free to do what he wanted, when he wanted, how he wanted. Kirara would take him anywhere he wanted. No expectations. No boundaries. No limitations.

Kohaku laughed. It came out of him without warning, a single gust, almost a shout. Kirara twitched one black ear, and rumbled a question.

"I'm free!" he shouted to her, another laugh jolting out of his throat, though his eyes were watering. Leaning forward, he wrapped his arms around her neck. "Kirara, I'm free!"

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This piece was written for prompt "Truth", for the LiveJournal community i-b-4-y. It was originally posted on May 2, 2011. It tied for second.


	3. Battle

**_Disclaimer:_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

**Battle**

The day was perfect; comfortably warm, with a brilliant blue sky. Kohaku rode Kirara as she ran through the sky. Kohaku watched the scenery below, fascinated, having never really looked down before.

A shadow fell across them; the youkai's only mistake. Kirara reacted, swerving and diving in a wild, corkscrew motion. Unprepared, Kohaku yelled as he was flung off her back.

Existence became stroboscopic. Kohaku saw a massive feathered body plunging down. Two sets of long talons lashed out. One set missed. The other did not. Kirara howled.

"No!" Horror, terror, seized his thoughts. But, the last bitter year hadn't been for naught: his body reacted, as it would not have, before his first battle. Without conscious thought, Kohaku pulled his weapon free, and flung the scythe. The long chain struck first, against the leg, sending the scythe into an arc. Twice around the chain wrapped before the point of weapon struck home. The youkai shrieked, flight faltering as Kohaku's weight came on the chain.

He lunged upward, not letting himself think. He avoided the clenching talons, using the last bit of chain and his arms to swing in an arch that ended with his legs locked around the bird's. Grabbing the handle of the scythe, he pulled it free, to bury it again halfway up the avian's side.

The youkai screeched again, veering wildly. Kohaku clung to handle with all his strength as he grabbed for a hold with his free hand. The wind buffeted him as the youkai strove to shake him free, while also trying to turn its head enough to catch him with its thick teeth. Grimly, Kohaku pulled out the scythe and aimed it higher, intending to climb to the bird's back.

He barely missed decapitation as the unexpected half of the youkai swiped at him with clawed hands. "Stinking human!" The bird of paradise's humanoid half screeched at him. "You die!"

Kohaku's eyes narrowed, the battle-trained part of his mind rapidly calculating. The angle was bad: if he missed, the youkai would have a decent chance of pulling the weapon from him. But his target couldn't dodge. Wait for the best moment—

The bird shrieked and jolted sideways as a blur of black-trimmed cream slammed into it, massive fangs sinking into the juncture of head and neck. Kohaku lost his grasp on the feathers. Pulling his scythe free, he let himself fall, twisting to face downwards. "Kirara!"

She appeared beneath him, blood flying from her shoulder and side. He landed as lightly as he could, trying to balance himself without exerting pressure on her wounded side. From the corner of his eye, he noted the tumbling body of the dead youkai. "Thanks, Kirara!" he cried. "Go to ground—I'll tend your wounds!" He kept his attention focused widely as she headed down, ignoring the boy in him that wanted to shake and break into tears at his—their—close call. They'd survived.

And learned.

They would continue to survive.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This was written for the LiveJournal community ib4y, and posted on May 9th, 2011. It took third place.


	4. Tears Refused

**_Disclaimer:_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

**Tears Refused**

Kohaku refused the tears trying to drip down his face. It was his turn to guard, to stay alert, and he could not do that while crying. But, it was so hard, as his gaze kept drifting to Kirara's tiny form, half-covered in blood-soaked strips of cloth.

If only he hadn't been so thoughtless! If only he hadn't been so fascinated by watching the ground far below, forgetting that the demise of Naraku did not mean the end of danger. Kirara had been surprised, too, but she had probably been depending on him to do his part. And he hadn't!

He angrily swiped at the traitorous drops. Stop it, he told himself. Checking the fire, he looked again at Kirara, as she lay on her side, partly curled, her mouth opened as she panted, occasionally mewing in pain, her eyes tightly closed. He longed to pick her up and cuddle her, but any attempt to move her would only cause more pain. He had done everything he could: wrapping the wounds, sacrificing his tunic for bedding, carefully arranging her between the fire and a vertical rock to keep her warm.

He listened to the dark intently, knowing that his vision was badly compromised, given the lit fire. But, it didn't matter. Kirara needed it, and his training had included using all his senses to fight.

He had felt overwhelmed, when she had made clear her decision to stay with him. That decision must not be fatal.

It would not!

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This piece was written for the LiveJournal community Inuyasha Fanfiction Contest, for the prompt "Thoughtless." It was published originally on May 10th, 2011. It tied for first.


	5. Patrol

**_Disclaimer:_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

**Patrol**

_Several days earlier…_

They shrank beneath Koga's furious gaze, as fixed to the ground as if they'd been chained. "You flea-chewing idiots!" he snarled. "You think this is enough for Amaya's needs?"

"But, we—there just wasn't much game that way," protested Hakkaku.

"And you said be back by dawn," added Ginta.

"No excuses!" Koga roared back. He threw the rabbits aside. "Maybe you'll be better lookouts than hunters—you can take the south border watch for the next moon."

"But—"

"But—"

"Get out !"

Figurative tails between their legs, the two youkai fled.

They were out of sound and scent of the caves before they glanced at each other, mutually slowing to a loping pace they could keep up indefinitely. "What has his tail in such a twist?" muttered Ginta.

"The pups, what else?" Hakkaku rolled his eyes. "What'd you do, sleep through the uproar when Koga smelled Ayame's pregnancy? I thought he was going to wake the ancestors with his howling."

"Oh, yeah." They came to an opening in the woods, paused to scan the sky, then dashed across the meadow, before resuming their lope.

"Maybe we should just stay on patrol, until the pups are here?" asked Ginta.

"Good idea."

A long silence.

"Pups…" muttered Ginta, starting to smile.

"What about pups?"

"Think he'll let us guard them? When they come out of the den?"

"Maybe if he decides we're good enough …"

They looked at each other, hope dawning.

"Let's do it!"

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This piece was written for the "Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes" community on LiveJournal, for the prompt "Chained." It was originally published on May 10th, 2011. It took first.


	6. Do It!

**_Disclaimer:_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

**Do It!**

Ginta and Hakkaku located the current patrol and sent them back. Two of the wolves with the patrol, decided to stay with the pair. Rituals of recognition and farewell finished; the quartet trotted off in a loose line, while the others turned north.

It was early evening of the next day when the lead wolf came to an abrupt halt, whining softly, her tail tucking between her legs. Ginta hurried forward. A few vocalizations, and he stiffened, sniffing. "Bird of Paradise!"

"What?" Hakkaku joined him. "I thought they were all dead!"

The two youkai stared at each other, afraid. They remembered all too clearly, the attacks the year before, which had been the first disaster to strike the pack. The bird youkai had held almost insurmountable advantages of size and mobility. Despite what Koga might say, both knew that the pack owed their survival in least partly, to the inu-tachi's efforts.

"What are we going to do?" whispered Ginta, as the two four-foots huddled against them. "The four of us aren't enough to attack one of those birds!"

Hakkaku was just as pale as Ginta, but he swallowed and answered. "We've got to find out what it's up to."

"What? But, couldn't we just change direction?"

"What if it's heading north?"

Ginta paled further, if possible. "The pack. Ayame."

"And you know what Ayame's like. Koga'll have his hands full, just trying to keep her from fighting."

"So, we go back and warn them?"

"Without having seen it? Without being able to say whether there's more than one? What's Koga going to say to that?"

Ginta nodded. "We'll never be pup-watchers, if he thinks we turned tail and ran."

"Worse than that. It's Ayame who'll have the final word. We're not from her home pack. She won't pick us, just because she thinks you're cute..."

"We have to prove the pups would be safe with us."

They stared at each other. The future they wanted wasn't something that would just happen. They would have to create that future. They would have to prove that they were the best choice-more cunning, more brave, more loyal, than the rest of the pack.

"Let's do it!"

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This piece was written for the LiveJournal community I-B-4-Y, for the prompt "The future is not something we enter. The future is something we create." It was originally published on May 16, 2011. It took second.


	7. Discovery

**_Disclaimer:_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

**Discovery**

The wolf tribe had learned from harsh experience to keep their eyes on the sky: any youkai that could soar in the wind was a potentially deadly opponent. So, while Ginta went to investigate the corpse of the bird of paradise, keener-eyed Hakkaku kept watch on the evening sky, while their two companions scouted downwind.

Finishing, Ginta dashed to the greater safety of the tree-line, calling his companions in. "So what did you find?" asked Hakkaku, keeping his eyes on the sky.

"It smells like a human and a cat took it down."

"A _cat!"_ Hakkaku gave Ginta a startled glance, then snapped his head up again.

"I think it's that cat that was with the Inu-tachi. Do you remember its name?"

"Nope. You?"

"Nope. It's hurt—the bird got its claws into the cat, before it was killed."

"What about the human? Was it that taijiya girl?"

Ginta ran his fingers through his gray and silver hair, clearly puzzled. "No. It's weird. It smells something like her, but it's male—not the monk, and not Inuyasha. He wounded the youkai, I think, but the weapon must be weird—it's not a sword, and it smells of youkai bone."

They both eased back a bit further under the trees, exchanging worried glances. The white-haired ookami broke the silence.

"Do you think the inu-tachi's in trouble?"

"What do you think? Everyone's heard that Naraku's dead. But…"

"But, rumors are saying that Sister hasn't been seen since."

"Why hasn't Koga gone to find out what happened to her?"

Hakkaku snorted. "When would he have time? Ayame's got him so wrapped up…"

"You'd think he'd have send someone…"

"There's always us." Hakkaku frowned. "If something's happened…"

They exchanged identical scowls, cracking their knuckles.

"If that human stole the neko, he's gonna regret it…"

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This piece was written for the prompt "Soar", for the LiveJournal community "Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes." It was originally posted on 05/31/2011. It won the contest. (last edit 6/22/11)


	8. The Plan

**_**Disclaimer:**_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied. _

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><p><strong>The Plan<strong>

Tracking a wounded flyer was not easily accomplished, even with lupine senses. Hakkaku and Ginta managed, however, patiently working through a spiral search pattern around the downed bird youkai, until they discovered the nebulous trail of blood that had reached the ground from the wounded neko. Eventually, they found where she had landed, whereupon the trail became dominated by the human scent. They were able to move quickly, then, but they halted when they smelled the smoke of a campfire.

The two youkai huddled together, whispering.

"We need a plan," muttered Hakkaku.

"A good plan."

"A cunning plan. This human stole the neko. He's dangerous."

They exchanged nervous glances. They'd learned how dangerous humans could be over the last year, especially formerly dead ones. This one was fully alive, but he had taken the neko from Inuyasha's pack, so they knew they couldn't take chances.

"Do you have any ideas?"

"No. Do you have any ideas?"

The next exchange of glances bordered on despairing.

Hakkaku spoke first. "What would Koga do?"

Ginta knew the answer to that. "Koga would just rush in. But we're not Koga."

"But, we know how he fights. And we're two, not one."

"Four. The wolves."

"Four. We rush in from different sides."

"You mean, you run in from one side, I run in from the other?"

"And the wolves. Don't forget the wolves."

"And the wolves."

"Yeah."

"Right."

The glances were grim.

"Let's do it."

"Yeah. Do it."

Well, it was a plan.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This was written for the prompt "Cunning", for the LiveJournal Community "Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes." It was originally published on June 22, 2011. It won the contest.


	9. Attack

**_**Disclaimer:**_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied. _

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><p><strong>Attack<strong>

_The wise cat sleeps frequently, but never deeply._

She was neither asleep nor awake, drifting from state to state as her wounds pulsed with pain and her energy drained steadily in instinctive effort to heal. Nevertheless, she was not unaware of the environment surrounding her and her two-legged kitten.

Her ears twitched, and her eyes cracked open, as she sensed the youki fizzling beyond the warm fire. Her growl was dismayingly weak, but Kohaku heard it anyway. Fingers touched her head. "Kirara?"

She growled again, hackles rising, as she struggled to roll onto her belly. "Kirara, don't move!" begged her kitten, pressing down on her shoulders. "You're hurt-!"

The youki outside the rim of the clearing flared, and Kirara realized that she had only managed to distract the kitten. Rage exploded, and her own youki spiked in response to instinctual demand. Cloth split and burned as she transformed. Straddle-legged but upright, she roared her rage and challenge at the foolish youkai who thought they could attack her and her kitten.

Yelps went up from the two lesser sources, and the others slid to a halt.

"Kirara! Hey, we came to rescue you!"

"Yeah! Why are you roaring? We thought you were hurt!"

"We thought you were stolen!"

"Did this human hurt you?"

"Hey!" That was Kohaku. "Kirara's my friend—who are you and what do you want with her?"

Oh, murrf! Kirara examined the one youki within range of her vision, and recognized his appearance and his smell, as well as his voice. Oh, them! The wolf boys that followed Koga.

She started to give voice to her opinion of the pair, but her recognition of her 'foes' broke the concentration of her fight-mode. Her legs buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, shrinking as she went.

"Kirara!" She sensed Kohaku's feet landing on either side of her crumpled form. "Don't come closer, or I'll kill you!"

She wanted to reassure her kitten that the wolf boys were allies, not enemies. But her head was so heavy, and she was tumbling head over tail down into the darkness, trailing a final, annoyed thought.

_Stupid wolves! Couldn't they recognize a friendly kitten when they saw one?_

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><p><em><strong>Author's Note:<strong> _A somewhat shorter version of this was posted for the prompt "Demand", for the LiveJournal community "Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes." It was originally posted on July 26, 2011. _  
><em>


	10. Confrontation

**_**Disclaimer:**_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied. _

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><p><strong>Confrontation<strong>

Kohaku straddled Kirara as fell in a faint, glaring at the youkai, weapon poised to throw. "Don't come any closer!" he threatened again.

The two hesitated. "Uh, who are you?" asked the mohawk-adorned youkai.

"Yeah, who are you?" said the other. "You smell a bit like Inuyasha's taijiya, but we've never seen you before."

"That 'taijiya' is my sister."

"Your sister?"

"Sister!"

The duo looked at each other, and then, wilted. "Oh, wow," muttered the first. "Let's hope Koga doesn't learn about this."

"He'll have our tails, if he does."

"We'll never get to pup-sit."

"Never."

Wondering if they were trying to distract him, Kohaku remained defensive. "Who are you and what do you want?" he demanded. "And, what are you to Koga?"

"You know Koga?"

"He used to have two shards of the Shikon no Tama in his legs, he was involved in the hunt for Naraku, and he left after he lost his shards and Kikyo-sama died," Kohaku said instantly.

"Oh."

"You do know him."

A third glance.

Kohaku was ready to roll his eyes.

"We found the bird, and smelled Kirara's blood," the mohawk finally explained. "We didn't recognize your scent, and thought maybe you'd stolen her. We—we just wanted to help her."

"We wouldn't normally help cats, but she's Inu-tachi—Kagome-sister's pack, so we want to help."

Recalling bits and pieces that Sango had told him, Kohaku lowered his weapon. He wasn't ready to trust them, but... "Help, how?"

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This piece was written for the LiveJournal community Issekiwa, for the prompt "Faint." It was originally posted on August 4, 2011. It tied for first.


	11. Smells

**_**Disclaimer:**_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied. _

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><p><strong> Smells<strong>

Ginta and Hakkaku glanced at each other. How could they help the badly wounded neko? Neither one felt any hint of a suggestion, that might be drawn out by their usual banter. Neither said anything, until Ginta noticed a distasteful tang to the neko's odor.

He looked at the neko's human companion. "Um...okay if I come over and smell? I won't harm her—-promise."

The boy's cold eyes studied him, but then he stepped aside. Trying not to eye the boy's weapon, Ginta edged over to the cat. One sniff confirmed his suspicion. "The wounds are infected," he said. "She's fevered."

"It's the bird claws," spoke up Hakkaku. "The wolves that only got clawed, died later."

Ginta nodded, remembering pain piled onto grief. "They all got sick and died."

"You didn't have any way to heal them?" the boy asked, paling. "I can't let her die!" he added desperately, knuckles whitening as he tightened his grip on the weapon. "She saved me—she's my best friend!"

Ginta felt sympathy, having several four-legged friends he had known from pup-hood. But, what could they do?

"Ayame!" Hakkaku exclaimed suddenly.

"What about Ayame?"

"Remember when Ayame found out that we didn't have any healers?"

Ginta brightened. "Yeah! She got so mad!"

"Mad, and made us bring in every different type of plant we could find."

Ginta grinned. "I remember the smell of the plant she said was good for infections."

"I remember what it looked like."

Ginta jumped up. "Let's go!"

"Whoa! Go where?"

The boy's question kept Ginta from dashing off. "To find the healing plants. We can travel fast."

"We always kept up with Koga!" added Hakkaku proudly. He blinked at a sudden consideration. "We'll leave the wolves to guard."

They growled to the wolves.

Then, "Bye!"

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This piece was written for the prompt "Travel", for the LiveJournal community "Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes." It was orginally posted on August 16, 2011. (10/4/2011)


	12. Waiting

**_**Disclaimer:**_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied. _

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><p><strong>Waiting<strong>

Kohaku blinked as the two youkai disappeared, and then started to slump as a wave of weariness overtook him. Shaking his head to clear the cobwebs, straightening his shoulders, he looked at the two wolves sitting on the other side of the fire. "What do you want?" he demanded, wondering why the two had really left them behind. "You're not snacking on cat, believe me."

Green fire flickered in their eyes as they lowered their heads and looked away from him. The larger of the two whined softly, touched noses with the other, and then turned and trotted away. The other plopped to a prone position, tucked one foreleg under the other, and then rested her chin on her legs with a long sigh.

Kohaku resisted the temptation to do the same, but as adrenaline ebbed, found it difficult. His head ached, and his stomach growled. Still, he kept his battle-ready pose, until he heard a tiny mew rose.

Keeping his weapon to hand, Kohaku dropped to his knees beside Kirara. "Please don't die," he whispered, stroking her head. "I can't do without you."

Her eyes open, she turned her head and gave his hand a tiny lick, before dropping it back to the ground, panting. Pulling out his small bag of supplies, Kohaku poured some water in a bowl. She drank, but ignored the dried fish, whimpering from time to time. Kohaku petted her, waiting, praying, hoping against hope that the youkai would return with a cure.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This was written for the LiveJournal prompt "Slump" for the community Issekiwa. It was originally posted on August 18, 2011. (10/04/2011)


	13. Dream Time

**_**Disclaimer:**_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied. _

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><p><strong>Dream Time<strong>

She was deep in the valley, where the sun never shone. All was black. Lonely, she whimpered.

A circle of white appeared. From it stepped a magnificent fire cat proudly displaying his nine tails. Kirara bolted to her feet, twin tails tucking themselves beneath her belly.

He laughed, filling with valley with his booming voice.

_No cat will stand for being laughed at._

Head and ears went down, hackles up. How dared he?

"Do I annoy you, little daughter?"

Daughter? He was not her sire!

"You would prefer a different form?" He shimmered and changed, becoming a huge, sleek, panther. He paced around her, always within his circle of light. She turned with him, trying to figure out what he was. Not neko youkai. But, what?

"No? Perhaps this, then." Light blazed, obscuring him. When it faded, cat was replaced by the seeming of a tall human male, richly dressed, the scent of power overwhelming.

Instincts recognized what consciousness did not. Kirara mewed and shrank, crouching and cringing.

_It takes a brave cat, indeed, to hiss at a god._

He laughed again, more gently, and she found herself in his arms. "No fear, little daughter," said the god of dreams. "Such a magnificent dream you are, little one, all fire and fur and loyalty. Perhaps I should keep you."

What? Mrow! No! She had a kitten to protect!

"The human boy is your kitten? Such conceit, little daughter."

She growled.

He only laughed again, scratching her ears. "Well, yes, he could use a guardian, to keep his dreams fair and not foul. Very well, little daughter. I can wait."

He petted her head, and the black and white faded to gray. It was a human hand on her head.

Mrrr?

"Kirara? You're still alive!"

Owwowow. Yes. She was.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This was written for the community "Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes," for the prompt "Yin." (Followed the next week by the prompt 'Yang' which, alas! I didn't write). It was originally published on August 29, 2011. It won first place. It has also been nominated in the current contests being run by the Inuyasha Feudal Association, and the Inuyasha FanGuild. (10/4/2011)


	14. The Right Thing

**_**Disclaimer:**_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied. _

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><p><strong>The Right Thing<strong>

Hakkaku coursed through the woods, slightly lagging Ginta, trusting the latter's keener nose to guide them through the early morning fog enshrouding the trees.

He felt nervous, and apprehensive. Was this really the right thing to do? Helping a human, and a neko youkai? They were supposed to be patrolling, not searching for herbs to help out non-pack. What would Koga say?

So much had changed, since Koga had found those shards! He and Ginta had always followed the ambitious young youkai, even before he challenged and defeated the old clan chief. Those had been good years, with the younger, less ambitious females flirting with them, the hunts that always seemed to end in success, the celebrations when they terrorized and drove away yet another group of humans from off their mountains.

And, then, it changed. Koga found the shards, started talking about expanding their territory, encouraging the hunters to look for more shards. The birds of paradise invaded, taking an exposed, feasting clan by surprise, slaughtering many of the females and pups before the shocked wolves could organize a defense and retreat.

An infuriated Koga had declared war on the birds, ignoring the advice from cautious elders to avoid contact and move the clan's homesite to a more heavily forested area. And so, the wolves had fought.

They had been losing.

Until the inu-tachi arrived.

Hakkaku remembered that fight, remembered how the power of the hanyo and his human companions had turned the war and won it in a single afternoon.

A large part of his apprehension vanished. The wolves owed the inu-tachi. Who knew how many lives they had saved?

It suddenly didn't matter if Koga approved of their helping the boy and cat or not.

It was the right thing to do.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This was written for the LiveJournal community I-B-4-Y, for the image prompt of mist-shrouded, forested mountains. It was originally posted on September 10, 2011. It took first place. (10/4/2011)


	15. Return

**_**Disclaimer:**_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied. _

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><p><strong>Return<strong>

The day crawled. Kohaku's body begged for respite, but he dared not sleep. Kirara seemed a bit stronger than the night before, but it might be only his imagination. She roused occasionally to lick his stroking hand, or drink from the shallow , for the most part, she remained in a limp half-curl, her mouth open as she panted, her eyes screwed shut, letting out a weak wail if he touched her side.

Feeling his traitorous body threatening to topple, Kohaku forced himself to his feet, walked around the fire-pit, exchanged wary glances with the wolf-the larger one for now. The male looked away, settling his head on his outstretched forelegs. He twitched, pulled his legs in to sit up, then tilted his head and began a vigourous scratching of his left ear. The itch satisfied, he yawned, showing off his long, sharp fangs. He started to settle down again, and then stiffened. His head swung around, nostrils flaring. He yipped, coming up to all four feet. His tail began to wag.

Kohaku looked in the same direction, gripping his weapon. That reaction did not match what he had seen when one wolf had come back to the camp sight in a clearly intended tradeoff of duties. He could guess what the wolf might be sensing, but he wasn't taking any chances-

Ginta and Hakkaku burst back into the clearing, their fangs clearly visible in their grains, their hands full of green. "Found it!" "We found it!" They proclaimed, not quite in sync. "We found the herbs!"

It took all of his willpower not to collapse in an exhausted heap. "Thank-you," he managed to say. Releasing his weapon, he walked back over to Kirara and knelt. "Can you tell me what to do?" he asked, pulling his bag of supplies closer. "She won't want you touching her, I think."

They laughed. "Too right," said one.

"You should have heard Koga, after Inuyasha carried him to safety, once!"

Kohaku told his body to not relax just yet.

But, he had enough hope for a tiny smile.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This piece was written for the prompt "Fangs." It was orginally posted on September 19, 2011, to the LiveJournal community "Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes." (10/4/2011)


	16. Awakening

**_**Disclaimer:**_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied. _

* * *

><p><strong>Awakening<strong>

The rough tongue licking his forehead drew him out of sleep. "Cut it out, Kirara," he muttered, pulling an arm up to protect his face. "It's too early to get up."

A long, warbling mew answered him. "What do you mean, it's night?" he grumbled, eyes still closed. "I—"

Memory started to catch up with his awareness, and Kohaku abruptly sat up. "Kirara!" He looked down at her. "You're—better?"

She chirruped, standing up. Cream-colored fur spiked and tangled where it poked between green-tinged bandages wrapped around her torso, as she carefully put one paw in front of the other. Collapsing by his leg, she rubbed her head against him, giving another long warble.

"You're hungry?" he asked, with an inner surge of delight and relief. "I've got some dried fish: you'll have to wait if you want fresh."

"No, she won't. We already have some."

Kohaku's head snapped up. He stared at the two youkai sitting on the other side of a fire. For a moment, dismay and fear flickered through him, before the rest of the memories of the last day came back—except for any memory of falling asleep. I fell asleep around youkai?

"Yep," said 'mohawk,' grinning. "You finished tying the bandages around Kirara, and just toppled over."

Kohaku looked away, face burning, mortified to realize he'd uttered his thought aloud. Some taijiya he was! Look at all he'd accomplished in the last day! Almost get his companion killed, have to depend on strange youkai to find a means for healing her, and then falling asleep while Kirara was still in danger!

"Hey, you were tired!" said the other youkai who called himself Ginta, he recalled. "We didn't mind—we knew humans need more sleep than youkai."

"Yeah, I hunted some rabbits," said Hakkaka.

"And then, I went fishing."

"We already ate, but we know humans prefer their meat cooked, so we built a fire and cooked one of the rabbits."

"And one of the fish."

Now, he felt even worse. What kind of taijiya was he, depending on the generosity of youkai?

Silence fell, as Kohaku stared at the ground.

"Umm..." Hakkaku broke the silence. "If you run into Koga, you won't tell him about this, will you?"

The question—and the apprehension—were so surprising that Kohaku looked up, discomfort momentarily misplaced.

"Huh?"

"We're supposed to be patrolling," said Ginta.

"Yeah. Patrolling. Koga's mad at us."

"It's not that we don't mind helping out—"

"Kirara being part of Inuyasha's pack and all—"

"But it's been a day since we met the last patrol—"

"It's been a day, and we haven't even started patrolling—"

"And we're supposed to be patrolling—"

"So, bye!"

"Bye, Sango's brother!"

And the four wolves took off.

Kohaku stared after them, flummoxed. "What was that about?" he wondered aloud.

"Mew-rew-ruff!" Who cares? Fish!

He looked down at Kirara who blinked her eyes at him. "Oh, sorry. Fish."

Kirara's need came first, before questions.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This was written for the community I-B-4-Y, for the prompt "Day, n. A period of twenty-four hours, mostly misspent." (quotation by Ambrose Bierce). It was originally posted on September 20, 2011. (10/4/2011)


	17. Decision

**_**Disclaimer:**_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied. _

* * *

><p><strong>Decision<strong>

Kohaku watched with anticipation as fire enveloped the tiny cat. It grew and grew, then faded and vanished, leaving behind the tall, knife-toothed fire-cat in her true form.

"I love watching you transform," he whispered.

She gave him a glance and a low rumble, then started stretching. Forelegs first, chest almost to the ground, then hind legs. She shook herself, hard, setting her ruff flying.

Finishing, she ambled over to Kohaku, butted him gently in the chest, before ducking her head and hooking around him in a clear invitation to mount.

He danced away, laughing. "I know, I know! I want to go, to, but I need to finish cleaning up the camp. And we have to decide where we want to go."

Kirara gave a rumble that was half sigh, half grumbling query. "I've been thinking about it, while you were getting better," he said, squatting near the fire pit to make sure the coals were cold. "I wasn't really thinking about where I would go, when we left—I just wanted to get out of the village."

"I want to become a good taijiya," he continued after a while, walking around to check the site. "But, how? The warriors at the village practiced constantly. I can practice what I know, but how do I learn more? There's so much I don't know!"

She came over and butted his chest again. This time, he threw his arms around her. "And, I've been thinking ... those wolf youkai have fought other youkai, right? They seemed friendly; they helped you ... I was wondering if we could try to find them. I didn't get a chance to thank them, and maybe, they'd be willing to ... let me learn from them."

Kirara slid from his arms, and offered her side again.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This was written for the LiveJournal community "Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes", for the prompt "Transform." It was originally posted on September 21, 2011. (10/24/2011)


	18. Roles

**_**Disclaimer:**_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied. _

* * *

><p><strong>Roles<strong>

Very tired after a day of flying, the barely healed Kirara shrank to her kitten size as soon as she landed. Curling up, she napped until the scent of fresh fish awoke her. She pounced, gobbled down supper, and then went back to sleep under his fingers gentle stroking.

Much later, she woke, refreshed, to discover that Kohaku was nodding. Stretching, she assumed her large form. With little persuasion needed, he curled up against her side and fell asleep.

She set her chin on an outstretched paw, resting, but quite prepared to leap to full protective mode, should danger arise.

She rumbled a little in contentment. Kirara was not entirely certain if asking the two wolf youkai for training was a good idea: they were entirely, in her opinion, at once too flighty, and too devoted to their pack leader. But, it was Kohaku's decision to make, not hers, and she had no intention of showing disagreement with any of his plans, unless he was clearly putting himself in danger for no good reason.

It was not her way, after all. She was nekomata, and concept of 'leadership' was not in their vocabulary. Like others of her kind, she had chosen to live in the human world, and why not? No kitten who had even suckled at her belly could give her what her adoptive human 'kitten' could. To her own offspring, she would always be mama, even after she had chased them off for their own good. But, to Kohaku, she could play the role of kitten to his guardianship, evoking giggles and laughter as she frisked and gamboled, as if no serious thoughts ever resided in her tiny head. And, yet, when he needed, she was the fierce protector and guardian.

It was good, to be both.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This was written for the prompt "Suckle", for the LiveJournal community "Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes." It was originally posted on October 4th, 2011. (10/24/2011)


	19. Hunted

**Disclaimer**: _This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

**Hunted**

They were being hunted.

That feeling had grown over the last few days. The hint of youki, never close enough to identify, kept plaguing them. They had shifted their patrol pattern twice, yet the searcher was kept almost finding them. They could not simply move out of the area, because sooner or later, Koga would be checking that they were fulfilling their duty.

Gnawing on a leftover bone from the morning's hunt, Hakkaku glanced up at the thin slice of sky that could be seen from the break in the tree canopy. "What do you think is hunting us?"

Ginta looked up from the bone he had cracked open for the marrow. "Something that flies. What do you think?"

"Something that flies, yeah." Hakkaku examined his bone, scowled, and tossed it aside. "Bird of Paradise?"

Licking the scraped marrow off his claw, Ginta considered, then shook his head. "Don't think so. Doesn't feel like it."

"Didn't think so." Running his fingers through his mohawk, the slightly older wolf sighed. "Need to find what it is, before Koga sends someone."

"Yeah. We'll never pup-sit, if he doesn't think we can do our job."

They gave each other doleful looks at the prospect.

"So, which way do we patrol tonight?" Hakkaku posed the question, then closed his eyes to consider their meanderings over the past days. Opening his eyes, he examined the direction Ginta was pointing, which was not the same direction he was pointing.

Arms both shifted. "That way."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This piece was written for the prompt "Slice", for the LiveJournal community Issekiwa. It was originally published on October 24, 2011.

This may be the last piece for the year, for this serial. My attention in November has been focused almost entirely on the "Blood Unbound" serial, using the "National Novel Writing Month" challenge to shove the plot forward at least a major distance towards the conclusion. (It's at 40,000 of the 50,000 word goal.) December will see me concentrating on cleaning up the November writing and publishing the chapters. With that out of the way, I then hope to sit down and plot several story arcs for this and other serials. Meanwhile, I can't predict what the December prompts will inspire, so you all will have to wait and see. (11/25/2011)


	20. Ambush

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

* * *

><p><strong>Ambush<strong>

They didn't sense the youki during the night, but it impinged on their senses shortly before sun high. "We've got to find out what this is, and take it down," muttered Hakkaku, with a scowl, as he glanced up through the trees in the direction of the skyborne, invisible source.

"But, how?" wondered Ginta. "It's up there; we're down here. How do we get to it?"

They exchanged puzzled glances. "We'll have to lure it to us," said Hakkaku.

"Yeah!" Ginta brightened momentarily, then frowned. "But, how? It's up there, we're down here, and it's not going to come down here, where we can ambush it."

"Ambush is what we need to do. But, it's not going to come down, unless…"

"Hey!" Ginta grinned. "How about we play dead?"

"Um… but if we play dead, how do we ambush it?"

"Um… maybe if just one of us played dead? While the other hid?"

"Yeah that would do it." Hakkaku nodded vigorously. "I'll play the dead youkai."

"Hey! It was my idea! I'll do it!"

"I'm quicker! I'll do it!"

"No, I'll do it! My nose is better!"

"You don't need a nose! I'm smarter, I'll do it!"

"You don't need to be smart to play dead! I'll do it!"

"No, I will!"

"I will!"

And so it went.

… … …

Kohaku was feeling frustrated at his inability to make contact with the wolf youkai. Kirara usually managed to get some sort of indication of their approximate area during the daytime. But, she was reluctant to fly and night, and they both had to hunt and rest. But, the youkai were obviously moving at night, and never in the same direction twice. And they were apparently staying under cover during the day, so it was possible that they didn't realize who was searching for them.

He was wondering if he should give up on his idea, of asking them to train with them. He wasn't learning anything this way, or helping to protect anyone.

Kirara gave a little rumble, slowing. "What is it?" he asked, leaning forward, his gaze following the direction of her ears. Not too far away, on a rocky outcrop near the top of the next mountain was a prone figure. Kohaku squinted, trying to make out the details. "Does that look like Ginta?"

She gave her left ear a double-flick, which was her new signal for 'yes.' Kohaku couldn't remember her using her ears before for communication, and wondered where she'd gotten the idea from. "Where's the other one—Hakkaku?" he wondered. "And the wolves?"

A long whine suggested that she didn't know. Kohaku frowned. "Does this feel like a setup?" he asked. "We're been searching for days, and suddenly one of them appears, apparently injured? Without the other?"

Kirara indicated her agreement. "So, Hakkaku and the wolves are probably waiting in ambush. The question is, will they attack, when they see that it's us? I mean, they did help us out, before?"

She meowed her own uncertainty.

Leaning forward, Kohaku studied the scene. It just felt fake.

"Let's go down, Kirara," he said, pulling his weapon from his belt as a precaution. "Hover just above tree-level. I doubt even those two four-footed wolves can climb trees, and Hakkaku never had any sort of long-range weapon that could threaten you, did he?"

_No._

… … …

Hakkaku reminded himself to keep his eyes on the sky, despite his annoyance. Ginta had cheated. They had eventually, agreed that the first one to touch a specific tree next to the clearing they'd spotted would get to play the 'dead' youkai. He had clearly won the race, slapping the tree, then plowing to a stop and looking over his shoulder to smirk at the slower wolf.

But Ginta hadn't stopped, leaping out into the open, tearing one arm open with his claws even as he fell forward. Stupid! Hakkaku had been forced to stay back, to be the ambusher. Though maybe that wasn't too bad of a role—Kouga would be really impressed if he were the one who brought down a dangerous, flying youkai. He smirked to himself, realizing that he was in the better role than Ginta. Hah! Outsmarted!

The youki shifted, rapidly growing in strength. Snapping his head up, Hakkaku sniffed, trying to catch a hint of what the youkai was. He couldn't smell anything, the wind was wrong, no, wait—neko? He sniffed again, and caught hints of—_human_?

A roar overhead caused him to jump. The wolves both yipped in surprise and leaped backwards, which was bad enough, but from the corner of his eye, Hakkaku saw Ginta twitch as well.

_So much for playing dead._

The smell of fire-edge neko and human became stronger, and Kirara dropped into view, her flames flaring high as she abruptly slowed to a hover. As the flames dropped to normal, Hakkaku could see the human boy leaning forward. Kirara looked in his direction, and dropped her jaw in what was clearly a feline grin.

"Hi, Ginta," said the human, peering down at youkai who was trying to pretend to be dead, again. "You might as well sit up and take care of that arm—you weren't convincing from high up, let alone tree-level. And Hakkaku might as well come out, too."

_Ah, deer balls._ Hakkaku saw Ginta sit up, looking crestfallen, and made himself step into the open, his mohawk drooping.

Kouga was _so_ going to be disgusted at their failure.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This was originally posted to the Inuyasha Fanfiction community on LiveJournal, for the prompt "Play Dead." It was originally posted on December 11, 2011. It won the contest. (01/09/2012)


	21. Predator

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

* * *

><p><strong>Predator<strong>

Kirara sat stiff and still, tails covering her paws.

_Be the Buddha. Ignore the riffraff; they are not worth your attention._

Unfortunately, one of the said 'riffraff' was leaking blood and youki, making her claws want to extend, her body to tense, and her teeth to chatter. She was hungry!

Not that she really wanted wolf-meat. Fish was much tastier!

Kohaku paused, in his conversation, and in his attempt to cut off the flow of blood and youki by wrapping up the limb. "Kirara, I know you're hungry. Why don't you go hunting, while I talk with these guys?"

She blinked at him. Why, the nerve of that kitten! Of course, she knew that the two wolves were probably no danger to him, and it was, after all, Kohaku's decision to speak with them. Still, she wasn't quite ready to leave him alone with those two, yet.

So, instead, she yawned, showing off her extravagantly long fangs. And then, she crouched, fore elbows held up and back, her hind legs tucked in a perfect position to power a leap. She gave the two a look, and her twin tails slowly started to twitch up and down.

The two wolf-youkai met her gaze for a single moment, and looked satisfyingly apprehensive.

And that was good. It meant they knew who the real predator was.

And who was prey...

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This was written for the prompt "Pause or Paws" (use one) for the Issekiwa LiveJournal community. It was originally posted on February 29, 2012. It tied for third. (6/10/2012)


	22. Blood Debt

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

* * *

><p><strong>Blood Debt<strong>

Noticing Kirara's crouched posture and concentrated stare, Kohaku gave the two nervous-looking youkai an apologetic smile. "Don't mind Kirara," he said, "She's just—playing a game with you."

They did not look convinced. "Some game," muttered Hakkaku.

"She looks as though she wants to eat us," grumbled Ginta, as he examined his bandaged arm.

"Kirara prefers fish," said Kohaku, forcing a smile. "Oh. And let me thank-you, for the help you gave us, when Kirara was hurt. I really appreciated your help."

"Eh." The two looked at each other, discomfited. "We figured Kirara's part of Inuyasha's pack," said Hakkaku.

"Kagome-sister would want us to help."

"She's not pack—"

"But without Inuyasha's pack, we'd've lost a lot more to the birds,"

"Maybe everyone,"

"So we figured it was the right thing to do."

Kohaku nodded. "I am still grateful. And thank-you."

They gave him puzzled stares. "Is that why you're looking for us? Just to say 'thank-you'?"

Kohaku shook his head. "I wanted to ask for something." As their expressions tightened, Kohaku took a deep breath, and then said, "I want to stay with you for a while, to train. To learn how you fight other youkai."

"What?" "Huh?"

They looked ill at ease, but Kohaku hurried on. "Sango and I: our tribe was wiped out by Naraku. Sango's marrying Miroku and settling down, but I—I couldn't stay. I—Naraku took me over, last summer. He made me—he made me kill people. Innocent people. Even my-my—" His throat locked; he could not say it. "I—eventually, I regained control, and he didn't know. I-I wanted to die, at first, but, I realized, I had to try to make up for what I'd done. If I could just take Naraku with me, then-then I could at least say 'I'm sorry.' So I—I pretended that I was still under his control. I—I even stood by, and didn't do anything, and, and more people—died. Because I had to wait for a chance—"

Pain and revulsion suddenly shook him. Kohaku clenched his fists, fighting the overwhelming shame. Shaking, he strove to regain control, determined not to cry, not to retch, not to grab his scythe—

A warm, furry body bumped against him, resonating with a loud purr. Kohaku found his hands clenching thick fur, and a sandpaper tongue licking his face.

He gasped; managed to pull out of that emotional storm. Panting, cheeks wet with tears, he looked up at the two unnerved youkai.

"Kikyo-sama saved me," he said. "She purified the shard keeping me alive. She—helped me. At the end, when Naraku stole the shard, she—her spirit saved me."

He drew a calmer breath. "I owe blood-debt to all those people. It wasn't my will, but it was my hand. I can't pay back the dead: the only way to pay back even a bit for what I've done, is to protect the living. I want—I have to become the best taijiya possible. And I can't do it on my own. I need training, in how to fight. I need to learn more about youkai. I—I was hoping you might … help."

... ... ...

Hakkaku and Ginta looked at each other for a very long moment, when the adolescent boy stopped talking, astonished and dismayedIt was Ginta who, for once, spoke first. carefully rubbing his wounded arm.

"Um, would you mind, if we discussed this, um, by ourselves?"

The human boy nodded, looking a bit relieved himself. "Oh, sure! I'll fish with Kirara—once she's had enough fish, she won't be interested in pretending you're a meal." He flashed a rather uncertain grin, and then turned away, calling to the fire-cat. She rose to her feet with alacrity, ears pitching forward, and barely waited long enough for the human to fling himself onto her back, before leaping off the ground.

The two youkai watched her disappear into the sky, and then mutually retreated to the nearest trees. The two four-footed wolves joined them, whining, seeking reassurance from their own apprehension over the more powerful youkai's appearance. Greetings and reassurances given, the two-legged youkai mutually collapsed to the ground, and stared at each other.

"He wants us to teach him?" Hakkaku raked his fingers through his mohawk. "Teach him what?"

"How to fight, he said." Ginta examined his wounded arm. "But, why does he need to know how to fight, when he's got that neko to fight for him?"

"Well, she did get hurt fighting that bird of paradise," pointed out Hakkaku. "And, you said yourself, he was clearly involved in the fight."

"Oh, yeah."

"But, why choose us?"

"Because we helped with the cat?"

They gave each other dismayed looks. This was not how their 'good deed' was supposed to turn out!

"Why can't he ask Inuyasha, or his sister?" wondered Ginta.

"And what could we teach him?"

"And what would Koga think?"

That was the crux of the problem, right there, they both recognized. "This isn't our decision," said Hakkaku, with a nod. "It's Koga's."

"Ayame's," amended Ginta. They grinned at each other, knowing full well that while Koga led the pack, Ayame led Koga.

"But, we can't send the boy to Koga."

"Yeah. He'd have a fit, letting a human know where the cave is. And we can't go—we're supposed to be patrolling."

"Because he's mad at us."

"And he's probably going to be mad at us some more, for helping the cat."

Gloom.

"But, Kirara is part of Inuyasha's pack," countered Hakkaku. "And she helped defeat the birds of paradise, in the war against them."

"And his pack destroyed Naraku, when Koga had to leave the hunt."

"Naraku." Ginta shuddered. "What he and that Kagura woman did to our pack..."

"What Naraku tried to do Koga..."

"And that boy said he was controlled by Naraku..."

"That's awful."

"Yeah. Awful."

They eyed each other, and nodded.

"We should let Koga know. But, we have to patrol—"

"And we can't just send Kohaku to the caves—"

"And we can't leave—"

"Heh!" Ginta brightened. "If Kohaku patrolled with one of us, the other could go ask Koga!"

"Kohaku and Kirara together could patrol," agreed Hakkaku. He frowned. "So who goes and tells Koga?"

"You can go," suggested Ginta. "You're senior."

"I'm senior, so I should stay on patrol," countered Hakkaku. "You can go."

"Hey, I can't!" exclaimed Ginta, holding up his bandaged arm. "The scars won't have begun to fade—I'd have to explain how I got them! To the whole pack!"

"That's your fault! You're the one that cheated!"

"Did not! I was just cleverer than you!"

"Then, you should be the one that goes."

"But, Ayame likes you better."

"No, she doesn't. You're the one that's always claiming he's cuter."

"And you're smarter. You're the one that should go."

"No, I shouldn't. You should go—Koga likes you better."

"No, he doesn't."

"Yes, he does."

"No, he doesn't."

... ... ...

They were still arguing when Kohaku came back. A sated Kirara took one look, shrank, and sat down for an extended grooming session. The four-footed wolves work up from their naps, and hastily retreated from the cat.

"Um, guys?" Kohaku spoke up as they paused for breath. They whipped around, looking startled, as if they hadn't noticed his arrival. He held up an impressive string of fish. "We could finish talking over a meal?"

"Oh, we decided: we have to ask Koga," said Hakkaku. "This could affect the pack: pack leader has to decide."

That made sense to Kohaku, so he nodded.

"We just can't decide who should go," Ginta added. "We figured, if you wanted training, you could help one of us patrol, while the other goes back to the pack."

"Sounds fair."

"But, we can't both go, and we can't agree on who goes and who stays."

"Yeah, it's important who talks to Koga."

"Real important."

"Real, real important."

"But, it can't be you. You're not pack."

Well that was reasonable, too.

"But—" he prompted.

"We're still deciding who goes."

"Yeah. And he wants to go—"

"And he wants to go—"

"And we can't agree on who should go."

A small 'mrph' drew Kohaku's attention to tiny Kirara. One hind leg still up in the air, she gave him a long-suffering look, put all paws back on the ground, stood up and shook herself. He stepped back a pace, and she grew to her big form. Tails twitching, she strolled towards the two youkai. Approaching Ginta first, she noisily snuffled his injured arm, then drew her lips up and her ears back.

"Um, what does that mean?" asked a nervous Ginta.

"She doesn't like your smell. It's probably the blood."

Kirara gave Hakkaku another snuffling go-over, but did not make a similar expression of distaste. Instead, she turned, thwacked him with the nearer tail, then strolled back to Kohaku, shrinking. Jumping up to his shoulder, she turned around, and mewed.

"What was that?" asked Hakkaku. "Was that the cat version, of what we wolves do, in greeting?"

"She was deciding who she thinks should go talk with Koga," said Kohaku.

"Oh. Who?"

"You."

Hakakku's hair visibly wilted.

"Oh."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This was written for the prompt "Adolescent" for the LiveJournal community IYFic Contest. It was originally posted on February 21, 2012. (6/10/2012)


	23. Best Friends

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

* * *

><p><strong>Best Friend<strong>

The fish were eaten. The sun was setting. And Ginta and Hakkaku stared at each other, their faces woebegone.

"I guess it's time to go."

"Yeah. Time to go." Ginta looked away, scuffing a foot against the ground. "You should take the wolves."

"No, you should keep them."

"No, you should—"

"I think Hakkaku-san should take them."

Startled, the two whirled to face the human boy, expressions surprised and then annoyed. Kohaku's face reddened a bit, but he didn't look away. "Kirara and I will be with Ginta-san. If the territory between here and your home is dangerous, Hakkaku-san shouldn't travel alone."

The two looked back at each other, somber, and finally nodded. "I'll take them."

Ginta nodded. "Okay." Silence. "Um, bye."

"Bye."

Kohaku watched the trio finally leave, his hands in Kirara's ruff. "You're good friends, aren't you?"

Ginta peered at him. "Yeah. The best. Since pup-hood. Koga's pack-leader, but Hakkaku—we've never been apart before.I miss him."

Kohaku's gaze fell as Ginta turned away. Pain and yearning and loneliness filled his heart. He'd never had a best friend. He'd always felt apart as a kid, driven hard by his father. His sister had always been on his side, but once she started working—

Would he ever have a best—a human—friend? Kirara was a friend; a companion tried and true. He loved her. But, to have a friend who could talk, who could make jokes, who could share secrets and questions...

Would he ever dare try?

His eyes burned.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This drabble was written for the prompt "Tried and True" on the LiveJournal community Issekiwa. It was originally posted on March 3rd, 2012. It took second. (7/15/2012)


	24. Kirara's Dilemna

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

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><p><strong>Kirara's dilemna<strong>

The fishing expedition had been so entirely successful that Kirara had happily devoured her share and more while still in her full-sized form.

Which left her with a dilemna, when Ginta announced that he was ready to start the evening patrol.

She blinked at the announcement, and turned her attention to Kohaku, who was nodding. "I don't think Kirara and I will be up to all night, but we can keep going for a while."

_What?_ She gave him a long, disapproving stare, ears swiveling back. She was tired!

"We agreed to patrol with Ginta," he told her. "It's his territory, his patrol, so we should try to keep to the hours he's most comfortable with." He added, "I'll carry you, if you're tired."

_Oh, wolf stink!_ She couldn't! She was full of fish, even relative to her large size. If she tried shrinking with her currently-full belly, she was going to be a engorged, helpless ball of fur!

She'd been sitting all this while; now she lay down, rolling flat on her side in a silent declaration of rebellion. This was a perfectly good place to sleep!

"Kirara? Are you okay?"

Of course she was! She yawned, licked a paw, scrubbed an ear, and then wriggled into a loose curl, sweeping her tails over her belly. Nap time, kitten. She closed her eyes.

She heard him sigh. "Okay, Kirara. I guess you can catch up when you're rested."

_What!_ Kirara listened to him walk over to the wolf youkai. "I'm ready if you are, Ginta-san. Tell me what you want me to do—just remember I'm human."

_Hey, mangy wolf! Don't you be dragging my kitten to a night hunt!_

"Um, okay. On a night like this, we prowl dusk until moonset, den until just before dawn, and then prowl again until the sun's close to high. Is that okay?"

"Let's go."

_He wasn't!_ Opening her eyes, Kirara rolled onto her belly, watching the retreating pair of two-legged hunters moving away. _He was! Silly kitten! It was way too early to declare his independence of her! And she certainly wasn't going to trust his safety to a mere wolf!_

She allowed herself a silent hiss as she pushed herself to her feet. Grumbling softly, she stalked after them, and roughly bumped Kohaku's legs as she caught up with him. He yelped and grabbed fur to balance himself. Ginta looked back, flinched under her gaze, and promptly looked away. Kirara had to be content with that, and with the furtive scratch to her ear.

Such was the life of a mother.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This was written for the LiveJournal community "Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes," for the prompt 'Engorge.' It was originally posted on March 8th, 2012. It won the contest.


	25. Apart

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

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><p><strong>Apart<strong>

Hakkaku watched the panicked flock ascend to the sky, a fierce grin on his face, and his hands full of limp, feathered bodies. Success! It wasn't often that he'd managed to take a flock of birds utterly by surprise, particularly one with youkai in the mix. And, he'd gotten the youkai birds as well, which made it even better. Score one for the wolves!

He started to turn around, to see how well Ginta had done, and then his mohawk drooped as he remembered.

Ginta had stayed behind.

They hadn't been separated in, well, ever. They'd been born the same year to low-ranking mothers, much to the expressed displeasure of the old chief. Most of the pack followed the chief's lead, forcing the two young pups to fight just to survive, let alone gain respect. They had quickly learned the value of standing together. By the time that the young and ambitious Koga had started looking around for followers and supporters for his plans to replace the old chief, the pair had gained grudging tolerance from most of the extended pack, but no acknowledged status from the leaders.

Koga had offered them friendship and respect, and won their utter loyalty. They became his fiercest followers, unbothered by the derision of the many who saw weakness in Koga's moves to attract the low-ranking youkai.

The male wolf whined, breaking through Hakkaku's distraction. The animal watched anxiously, his own prey dead at his feet. "Sorry," muttered Hakkaku, before giving the wolves reassurance and permission to eat. Plopping down to the ground, he attacked his own birds, ripping out feathers, then feeding on the youki and blood, before pulling the body apart. He ate quickly, determined to be on the way as quickly as possible. He wanted to get back on the trail, headed back to the caves as quickly as possible, so that he could report, and then return to Ginta's side.

He felt so cold, not knowing that Ginta was near. So apprehensive. So alone…

followers, unbothered by the derision of many, who saw weakness in Koga's moves to attract the low-ranking youkai.

The male wolf whined, breaking through Hakkaku's distraction. The animal watched anxiously, his own prey dead at his feet. "Sorry," muttered Hakkaku, before giving the wolves reassurance and permission to eat. Plopping down on the ground, he attacked his own birds, ripping out feathers, then feeding on the youki and blood, before pulling the body apart. He ate quickly, determined to be on the way as quickly as possible. He wanted to get back on the trail, headed back to the caves, so that he could report, and then return to Ginta's side.

He felt so cold, knowing that Ginta was not near. So apprehensive. So alone…

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This is a longer version of a drabble written for the LiveJournal Community "Inuyasha FanFiction: A Drabble Community." The prompt was 'Ascend.' The piece was originally published on March 14th, 2012. It won the contest. (last updated 7/21/2012)


	26. Racing Home

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

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><p><strong>Racing Home<strong>

The closer he came to the clan's home, the faster Hakkaku ran. He knew that the human boy and the firecat had been allies in the fight against Naraku, yet he could not overcome his fear and concern for Ginta, left alone with those strange creatures.

The four-footed wolves fell behind, but Hakkaku did not slow down. Following Koga, he and Ginta had always seen their runs as a series of races, to see who could keep closest to the much faster Koga. Now, he had no competitor save time, and the weather. Rain came down, and he plunged through the fall with narrowed eyes. Wind whipped and slammed at him, but he refused to stagger and fall. Only the mountain slope came close to defeating him, as burning legs and burning lungs dragged him to a stop. But, he tarried only long enough to catch his breath, and then raced on.

Early morning came, enshrouded in mist. Hakkaku could not see, but he could smell that the caves were close. Slaking his thirst at a stream, he dug deep and broke into a final run. He knew where he was, and increased his speed. Ginta would not remain alone one moment longer than necessary. Run!

He smelled wolf youkai before him, but his mind was too focussed on running to react. Shadowy figures leaped out of the way, and then a slicing leg took him down. Hakkaku yelped as he hit hard, chin first.

"Hakkaku, you idiot! What are you doing, running as if the oni-eaters are after you, in the middle of a fog in the middle of our territory! You almost ran me down!"

Hakkaku rolled onto his back, and stared up at the slender figure standing above him, hands on hips. He cringed.

"Ayame?"

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This was written for the LiveJournal prompt "Race," on the community "Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes." It was originally published on March 24, 2012. It won the contest. (8/21/2012)


	27. Stories in the Sky

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

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><p><strong>Stories in the Sky<strong>

They couldn't patrol in the heavy, clammy mist. Despite the weather, Kohaku was not uncomfortable, warmed from the back by Kirara's fur, and from the front by a low fire. Staring up towards the sky, which would be invisible through the trees even without the mist, he wondered what Sango was up to. Had Miroku started his hut yet? Had Sango gotten over being upset at his departure?

"Do you ever stargaze?"

Startled, Kohaku sat up. Across the fire, Ginta had his arms wrapped around his legs, staring out into the darkness. "Never did, until I started following Sesshomaru-sama," he admitted. "But, Sango and I used to sneak out to a meadow, and watch the clouds."

"Sango … your sister?"

"Yeah."

The wolf-youkai sighed. "You miss her?"

"Yeah."

Another sigh. "Until this last year, Hakkaku and I stargazed all the time, especially when there wasn't any moon. We'd find images, and make up stories about them."

"Humans see images, too."

Ginta snapped his head around, straightening. "Really?" His eyes glowed with interest. "What kind of images? What kind of stories?"

"Umm…" Kohaku felt taken aback. "I—don't really know any stories. Father would point things out, when we were night-training, but it was mostly for telling time and direction."

"Oh." Ginta looked crestfallen. Kohaku bit his lip, realizing that he and Ginta had hardly talked since they had teamed up. Ginta was clearly missing his friend. Kohaku could emphasize with that, missing his sister, even if he at least had Kirara for company. Ginta didn't even have any of his wolf companions…

"So, what kind of stories did you and Hakkaku make up?"

Ginta looked back. "You really want to know?"

Kohaku's smile was not entirely faked. "Sure, why not?"

Ginta grinned and turned to face him.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This was written for the prompt "Stargaze", for the LiveJournal community "Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes." It was originally posted on May 5th, 2012. It won the contest. (8/21/2012)


	28. Ayame's Choice

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

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><p><strong>Ayame's Choice<strong>

Ayame kept her arms folded, standing perfectly still, though what she really wanted to do was to pace back and forth, growling at the entire, stupid situation. Bad enough that Koga had taken off yet again, supposedly for hunting, though she doubted it. Plenty of younger wolves were prone to wanderlust, especially if it weren't obvious that they would be able to fight their way to a decent position within the pack. But, when they did return to the pack, after a period of wandering, they were supposed to stay put! Especially the pack leader, doubly-so when his mate was pregnant!

And now, this. Ayame watched, scowling, as Hakkaku devoured strips of meat and tossed back bowls of water. She waited impatiently for him to finish and to reach a state where maybe he might make sense. He'd been barely coherent, when he'd been tripped to fall at her feet, his smell clearly marking his exhaustion and dehydration. If she understood his babbling, he had left Ginta alone to the mercies of a human boy and a nekomata, and had subsequently outrun his four-footed companions. Just what kind of a fool was he?

His hunger and thirst apparently assuaged, the wooden bowl slipped from his fingers. Ayame gave his thigh a nudge with her foot. "Don't go to sleep yet, white-hair," she growled. "Explain why you're here, and Ginta is somewhere out there surrounded by not-wolves. And no story-telling!"

He looked up, blinking tired, sleepy eyes, his mohawk limp, with strands of hair clinging to his skull. "Inuyasha's pack—the taijiya Sango and the nekomaka Kirara. Umm... you know them?"

"We've met," she said, curtly.

He nodded. "We were patrolling; found a Bird of Paradise, dead, but with the blood of a youkai cat on its claws. We searched, and found Kirara, hurt badly. Sango's younger brother, Kohaku, was with her. Since, um, since Kirara is pack-friend, we went searching for those healing herbs you made us learn about. She got better, we left. Then, a couple of days ago, Kohaku, um, he asked whether he, uh, train with the wolf youkai to increase his ability to fight youkai. We, uh, well, we knew we couldn't make that decision, and Kohaku offered to help patrol with Kirara, so, well, we agreed, I'd come back and tell Koga, and he could make the decision."

Her eyes narrowed. "You think we should help a taijiya get better at killing youkai. Like wolf youkai."

Hakkaku cringed. "No! Kohaku said he wouldn't use his skills against the wolves, he just wants to get better fighting youkai that are threatening humans."

And wolves were not a threat? She did not express the thought aloud.

This was not good. The decimated tribe would be decades recovering. They didn't need a taijiya knowing more about how to take them out. However, there were whispers and rumors about humans who could kill from a distance, without sacred arrows, with something that stank horribly and smelled of fire and metal. If this taijiya knew such things...

"Very well," she said abruptly. She rattled off a handful of names, several younger pack-members, male and female both, and one of the elders whom her grandfather had trusted. "You're with me. I'm going to go talk to this boy. Kemur, you're in charge until either Koga or I get back."

She ignored the uproar. Yes, she was pregnant, but not that much, and no, she didn't care what Koga might think. Whether he was off hunting, or trying some way to assuage his hurt pride that he hadn't been involved in the final destruction of Naraku, she didn't at that moment care. Her future cubs were the ones that were going to need protection.

And she would decide how best to protect them.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This was written for the prompt "Wanderlust," for the Inuyasha FanFiction: A Drabble Community. It was originally posted on May 21, 2012. It won the contest. (8/22/2012)


	29. Koga's Return

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

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><p><strong>Koga's Return<strong>

"You—let—her—go?"

The wolves quailed under the onslaught of their leader's rage. The four-feet tucked their tails between their legs, lowering their heads, and their ears. The two-feet cringed, hunching their shoulders, looking away.

"And none of you tried to stop her?" he shouted. "Did you all forget she's pregnant? She's supposed to stay here, where it's safe! And you let her go!"

A stir at the back caught Koga's attention. He scowled as a tall, lanky woman with grizzled hair and a ridge of scars on one bare shoulder pushed her way forward. "Why didn't you stop her, Sentashi?"

She halted a few lengths away, crossing her arms as she met his gaze with golden eyes. "I'm her sire's aunt, not her keeper," she replied. "And with all due respect, pack leader, stop barking like a fool dog."

Koga stiffened and glowered. The tension in the cave ratcheted higher as he growled. "Fool, you say?"

"Fool. A male wolf protects his bitch, he doesn't try to control her. Ayame is barely pupped, and it will be moon quarters before the pups grow big enough to affect her speed or agility. She's more than capable of leading a pack of wolves and youkai to check out one human and a nekomata."

"A taijiya," he corrected her.

"Taijiya," she corrected, unruffled. "Who, according to Hakkaku, said he has no intention of attacking the wolf pack. And surely, you're not saying we should be afraid of the cat?"

Koga breathed hard, struggling to rein in his temper, and the triggering fear. His Ayame was pregnant with his pups. The pack had lost so many: any risk to the pups; any risk to their dam, his mate—_his mate!_ He wanted to keep Ayame safe, keep her away from danger, which meant keeping her in the caves.

But, as he glared at the older bitch, he grudgingly admitted to himself that keeping Ayame confined to the caves would never work. She wasn't that kind of bitch. She was an alpha bitch, she made up her own mind, and would only show throat when absolutely necessary.

He forced his stance to relax. "I'll discuss Ayame's decision with Ayame, when I catch up with her," he said.

Tails came up, and breaths blew out, and a nervous Kemur blurted, "You're going after her?"

Koga unleashed his glare again. "No. I'm going out to meet this human who says he wants to train with us. You have a problem with that?"

From the way he hastily backed away, it was clear that Kemur wouldn't be a threat to his pack leader position for a long time. If ever. Feeling slightly mollified, Koga let his gaze slide briefly back to the old bitch. Sentashi smiled slightly and inclined her head, acknowledging his dominance.

He wasn't fooled; however. Sentashi was more to Ayame than just her great-aunt, after all.

_Sensei_ was how Ayame had introduced her, when the packs united.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This was written for the prompt "Onslaught", and posted to the LiveJournal community "Inuyasha's FanFiction: A Drabble Community." It was posted originally on July 15, 2012. It won the contest. (8/25/2012)


	30. Runner, The Whirlwind

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

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><p><strong>Runner, the Whirlwind<strong>

Koga left the caves, leaving everyone behind, accelerating quickly to full speed. Even without the shards, no one currently in the caves could keep up with him, and he wanted no minions to slow him up in his effort to catch up with Ayame.

His nerves were on high alert, his eyes roaming the ground ahead, his ears and nose and youkai senses alert for danger-and for the hints that would keep him on Ayame's path. Nevertheless, he was not unaware of other sensations as he ran.

It was the first time he had pushed himself to a full run, since he had lost the shards of the Shikon jewel. His legs had hurt for days after the loss, and he had felt heavy, diminished, even as he accepted the wisdom, that his part in the fight against Naraku was over, and that his most important responsibility lay with the wolf tribe. Merging the two clans, taking care of quarrels, making sure everyone was safe, had taken up his time.

As had mating with Ayame.

But, now, digging into his reserves to find a bit more speed, Koga began to feel a bit of that former exhilaration. Wolves were born to run, at a loping pace that could be kept up for hours, if mortal, or days. But, he wanted more than just the lope; he wanted to challenge the wind itself. He was more than wolf-chief, burdened with the concern over the safety of his people. He was the runner, the whirlwind, that could not be matched or stopped.

He lost himself to the run. Not losing the alertness, the readiness to dodge or fight, but worries and concerns submerged themselves into the moment, into the now. He was not the wolf-chief. He was only the whirlwind.

And had he breath to spare, he would have laughed for joy.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This piece was written for the prompt "Minions", for the LiveJournal community "Inuyasha FanFiction: A Drabble Community." It was originally posted on July 30th, 2012. It took 2nd.

(8/25/2012) - And as of this posting date, the serial here on fanfiction . net is up to date. I really need to sit down and outline what's going to happen, but I'm juggling so many stories, and so much else in real life, that I have no idea when I'll get to it. Thanks for your patience!


	31. Running in Springtime

**_Disclaimer: This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._**

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><p><strong>Running in Springtime<strong>

It was not a very long distance to the patrol area, but Ayame chose to keep her speed down. She saw no need to push her people, especially the three sturdy men who were taking turns carrying the exhausted Hakkaku. She'd known better than to try and leave that one behind.

Despite her initial concerns, she was starting to enjoy herself. The sun was climbing, burning off the mist, drawing back the shadows cloaking the spring flowers on the mountain slopes. The breeze was warming and growing fragrant, with additional notes that spoke of the new life burgeoning into being.

In fact, she was changing her mind, on whether to bring the human back to the caves. His presence would be good for her people: would challenge them, would force them to rouse themselves, to avoid showing weakness before a mere human or a cat youkai. Too many of them were still trapped in the fear, grief and despair from the losses Naraku had caused. Kouga's defeated return, stripped of Shikon shards had made things worse. Naraku's destruction, and the raucous celebration of her mating that she and her friends organized, had lifted the worst of the gloom. But, there was too much loss, too much sorrow, for the now-joined tribes to heal that quickly.

But, this taijiya, and his cat … yes, that would be a good thing.

And if Kouga wanted to argue …

She smirked.

_Bring it on, mate._

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><p><strong><em>Author's Note:<em>** This was originally written for the prompt "Long Distance," for the Inuyasha Fanfiction Contest Community on LiveJournal. It was originally published on February 4th, 2013. It won the contest. (3/28/2013)


	32. Ayame's Argument

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

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><p><strong>Ayame's Argument<strong>

Kouga increased his speed as the smell grew stronger, then had to slide to a stop as he rounded a rocky spire and almost ran into them. Casting quick looks, he snapped, "Where's Ayame?"

Leaves swirled. A chuckle and arms came around from behind. "I knew you'd catch up."

Irritated, the wolf chief turned, and glared down. "You're going back to the caves—now."

"No."

"Yes."

She smiled, eyes sparkling with mischief. "I'll go..."

Relief. He didn't need an argument in front of the others. "Good. Sentashi—"

"...As soon as we find the boy and his cat, and invite them back to the caves."

Kouga glared. "I'm not—"

"Afraid that a mortal and nekomata would be too much for our poor, traumatized people to cope with, after everything that happened this last turn."

His mouth—already open—stayed open. Ayame's smiled widened, her hands tickling the skin above his armor. "An alliance with a taijiya, with someone who could give insight into the human world," she murmured. "Think about it ... he wants something from us ... we could make a bargain. A good bargain..."

Her fingers were not helping him think. Grabbing her wrists, he held them away. "Our people aren't 'poor' or 'traumatized'."

Her smile slid away, her eyes darkening. "You are not worried about them?"

He froze, heart chilling, his grip unconsciously easing. He could not say 'no'.

She stretched up and kissed him lightly. "The boy will be good for them," she breathed. "I know this."

Kouga surrendered.

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>This was written for the prompt "Yes & No" for the Issekiwa community on LiveJournal. It was originally posted on March 28th, 2013. (12/3/2013)


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